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Special to Savannah Morning News Political artist Jonathan Horowitz skewers America's two-party divide and its schismatic media coverage in an installation at the Jepson Center.

Like a moth drawn to the proverbial flame, political artist Jonathan Horowitz can’t resist election season.

This New York-based multi-media artist shakes and stirs a potent cocktail of politics, patriotism and irony in “Your Land/My Land: Election ’12,” a new installation on display at the Jepson Center. This thought-provoking exhibit shines a spotlight on a divided nation swathed in red and blue, segregated according to party lines.

“Your Land/My Land” is designed to provoke dialogue about political issues and to encourage reflection on the ideological divisions that define our nation. Horowitz believes art should be directly engaged with the political, social and cultural issues raised by the election process.

The Telfair is a one of a handful of art museums across the country exhibiting simultaneous installations by Horowitz. Additional venues include the New Museum in New York City, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston, the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art in Salt Lake City and the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh.

At each venue, red and blue area rugs physically divide the exhibition space into opposing zones, reflecting America’s color-coded political and cultural divide. At the Jepson, back-to-back plasma TV monitors broadcast live feeds from FOX News and CNN, alongside oversized photographs of President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney .

Horowitz confesses he’s been following the current presidential election with a combination of “interest and some disgust.” He recently spoke with the Savannah Morning News about art, politics and democracy in 21st-century America.

SMN: You have said before that “everything is political.” In what ways?

Horowitz: “Well, say you make a painting of a flower. You’re not just making something that’s pretty. You’re saying, ‘This has meaning’ and ‘This is important.’ And if someone buys your painting, they’re saying, ‘This has value.’ So you’re positioning yourself and expressing your moral values in some way.”

SMN: Do you consider yourself to be a Democrat, a Republican or something else altogether?

Horowitz: ”I’ve tried to take myself out of this project in that way and not assume a position. Let’s just say I’m an interested bystander. I make art about things that I care about, and I care about the country and how it’s governed. As a citizen, I have a vested interest.”

SMN: Your work is often quite funny. Why do you enjoy incorporating satire in your art?

Horowitz: ”Maybe it’s because of the way humor is so elemental. Kids make fun of each other on the playground. It’s both a very direct and indirect way of expressing yourself.”

SMN: Interview magazine said you may be “the cleverest artist alive.” Where do you tend to find inspiration for your work?

Horowitz: ”They were probably just trying to sell magazines. But, gee, I don’t know where to begin. I get inspiration from everything — buildings, plants, people, TV, people on TV.”

SMN: What is your overall impression of the U.S. political system in the 21st century?

Horowitz: “I think that it’s a problem the way positions on all sorts of not-necessarily-related issues get ganged together and split up between two sides. You end up with two vague ideologies, extreme polarization and no dialogue. As we’ve seen, it makes it very difficult to get anything done.”

SMN: From your perspective, is our current system a mockery of democracy?

Horowitz: “No. It’s just what democracy looks like today. It’s always a struggle, but there’s definitely room for improvement.”

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Using live and archival video footage, New York artist Jonathan Horowitz creates conceptual multimedia art that skillfully blends politics and popular culture. His provocative work often examines the connection between American consumerism and political consciousness. Horowitz has exhibited his work at galleries in New York, Paris, Berlin, London and Cologne.